LPs

Kick the iTunes habit and celebrate Record Store Day

Kick the iTunes habit and stop streaming, it's time to get physical with music you can touch!

Record Store Day is a celebration of the joys of buying music in the real world, and brick and mortar stores all over the country are participating in the event on Saturday, April 21.

The first Record Store Day was in 2007, and every year more and more stores get involved. The Record Store Day Web site has this quote from author Nick Hornby:

"Yes, yes, I know. It's easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what's playing … Read more

Listen before you buy a hi-fi, what a great idea

I sold high-end audio in New York City for 16 years before I started writing. Talking one-on-one with my customers taught me a lot about how a broad range of people relate to hi-fi. Those experiences influenced my writing, because I know firsthand that there's not a lot of agreement about what constitutes "good sound." You have to listen for yourself to really know if you love the sound. You might do that at a friend's house, but the best place to compare and learn what you like is in a hi-fi store

I've blogged … Read more

What's the best-sounding hi-fi you ever heard?

For me a great hi-fi doesn't necessarily have to be the best-sounding one.

It's more about a sound that draws me in. One CD or LP leads to the next, and I don't want to stop to eat, read, go to bed, or watch TV. A great hi-fi is one that lets the music cut loose. Even cheap gear might have what it takes to get my juices flowing. Take the Velodyne vPulse in-ear headphones; they make too much bass and are far from the most refined headphones in my collection, but I keep using them. I … Read more

Can an MP3 sound better than a Blu-ray?

High-resolution formats like Blu-ray, DVD-Audio, SACD, and LP are all capable of delivering superb sound quality, but having music in those formats doesn't automatically guarantee great sound. The recording itself would first have to sound great, or to put it another way, a great sounding MP3 would sound better than a heavily compressed and studio processed 192-kHz/24-bit Master Audio Blu-ray.

Worrying about what sounds better--FLAC, WAV, or AIFF files--is a total waste of time if you're listening to an Adele or Black Keys album: the music's processing levels are so extreme, there's nothing for … Read more

Poll: Why do young people play LPs?

The CD format is fast approaching its 30th birthday, so if you're under 40, there's a good chance you didn't grow up playing LPs.

I'm over 40 and still play and buy new records, but I'm curious about why younger people are getting into vinyl. Is it the sound, the feel, or the satisfaction of holding a nice hunk of vinyl in your hands? Here in NYC there are lots of places selling new LPs. I can't help but notice the vast majority of the titles are from young bands, and are bought by … Read more

How to make your LPs sound better than ever

High-end audio doesn't always mean the most ridiculously expensive gear, just gear designed with sound quality as the top priority.

Mainstream audio products aren't designed that way; they're sold mostly on the basis of features like Bluetooth or AirPlay that consume an ever larger part of the design engineer's focus and budget. No, high-end audio in its purest form is all about superlative sound. Jolida's JD-9 tube phono preamplifier is such a design.

The selection of newly released LPs is growing day by day, and I loved Nick Lowe's "The Old Magic" … Read more

Are you finished with physical media?

It was just the other day when I had a conversation with CNET Senior Editor David Katzmaier about movies, and he told me he was getting rid of nearly all of his DVDs and Blu-rays. Whoa, that news hit me hard; Katzmaier has reviewed a gazillion TVs and loves movies, but he no longer feels a need to keep the discs.

I know it makes sense for a lot of folks, but not me. I like having my stuff around, and I like the process of selecting music from my huge collection. It's pretty organized, so I can find most titles in a few seconds, but I also like just randomly pulling up something, and holding the cover in my hands. I have a strong attachment to this stuff, and I don't want to ever let it all go.… Read more

A different kind of analog-digital hi-fi system

Playing LPs usually requires a complete hi-fi system, but Music Hall's slick USB-1 turntable and AktiMate Mini speakers make beautiful music together.

I associate desktop speakers with computers and iPods, so when Ken, one of my audiophile pals, raved about this slick little Music Hall system, he had my full attention. It's just a pair of desktop speakers and a turntable--there's your system. The little rig dispenses with the usual receiver or preamplifier required to play LPs; you just hook up the USB-1 turntable via its stereo analog outputs directly to the AktiMate Mini speakers, and you'll be grooving to your tunes. You can also dock your iPod to the AktiMate Mini, and digitally dig your music.… Read more

The 'groovy' highway hi-fis of the 1950s

I know a little about under-dash record players from the late 1960s, but I was totally clueless about 1950s car turntables, until I heard writer Paul Collins talking about them on WNYC's "Soundcheck" radio show a few weeks ago. I chatted with Collins to learn more about these groovy hi-fis.

Columbia Records developed the proprietary Highway Hi-Fi format: a thick 7-inch, 16 2/3rpm record that had up to one hour playing time per side. Chrysler executives jumped on the idea, and offered the turntable as an option in their 1956 models, and were hoping one out … Read more